CAMDEN — An
effective and fair process for investigating and resolving insurance claims is
at the core of the relationship between an insurer and a policyholder.

To explore
the laws governing insurance claims practices today, the Rutgers School of
Law–Camden is bringing together industry experts and scholars for “Bad Faith
and Beyond: A Conference on the Law of Claims Practices” from 9:45 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

“Insurance
provides peace of mind and financial security to consumers, but only when it
works,” says Jay Feinman, a distinguished professor of law at the Rutgers
School of Law–Camden. “Insurance works only if insurance companies pay claims
promptly and fairly. The conference will explore how the law can encourage
companies to do so and provide remedies when they don’t, while not imposing
undue costs on the companies.”

Feinman, who
has written widely on tort law, insurance law, and other subjects, says the
conference creates a forum in which legal academics, practicing lawyers, people
in the insurance industry, and regulators can get together to exchange ideas.

The
conference is the first presented by the Rutgers School of Law–Camden’s new
Center for Risk and Responsibility, a resource created to promote interchange
across the disciplines that study risk through workshops and conferences.
Organizers of the conference are Adam Scales, a professor of law at
Rutgers–Camden and a nationally known expert on insurance law; Rick Swedloff,
an assistant professor of law at Rutgers–Camden; and Feinman.

“We want to
bring together people who are interested in the overlapping set of issues
related to how society manages risk and risk allocation,” Scales says. “The
center becomes a device for concentrating our efforts in that area.”

Other confirmed
speakers at the Feb. 29 conference include three of the leading insurance law
scholars in the United States, two economists, two nationally known
practitioners who have also written major scholarly works, the country’s
leading advocate for insurance consumers, and other scholars.

The speakers
are: Kenneth S. Abraham, professor, University of Virginia School of Law; Amy
Bach, executive director, United Policyholders; Tom Baker, professor,
University of Pennsylvania School of Law; Mark Browne, professor, University of
Wisconsin School of Business; Robert Jerry, dean and professor, University of
Florida Levin College of Law; Ellen Smith Pryor, professor, SMU Dedman School
of Law; Douglas R. Richmond, managing director, AON Risk Services; Thomas F.
Segalla, founding partner, Goldberg Segalla LLP; Peter Siegelman, professor,
University of Connecticut School of Law; and Sharon Tennyson, associate
professor, Cornell University College of Human Ecology.

The
conference is approved for continuing legal education credits and is
co-sponsored by the Rutgers Institute for Professional Education.

To register,
or for more information, visit badfaithandbeyond.rutgers.edu.